Bertha Ealey Bailey

Bertha Ealey Bailey
Bertha Mae Ealey Bailey, affectionately known as "Bert", was born on June 1, 1944 in Scott, Mississippi to the late Jack and Lorean Ealey. Bert was the third of ten children. After her family migrated to Chicago, she accepted Christ as her personal savior at an early age and was baptized at Mozart Baptist Church and later became a member of First Baptist Congregational Church for many years. Although her health prevented her from attending church in recent years, she maintained a close spiritual relationship with God and enjoyed watching services online.
Bert grew up on the West Side of Chicago and graduated from John Marshall High School. She later relocated to Los Angeles, California where she attended Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA and studied court reporting. She was a cashier at several grocery stores during her adult life and was later promoted to bookkeeping. She retired from the grocery industry and worked in an administrative capacity at several law firms in Los Angeles.
While in Los Angeles, Bert met and married Henry Stennis. During their marriage, their beautiful home became an oasis for countless family members who visited or moved to Los Angeles. Henry preceded Bert in death, as did her second husband, Clemmie Bailey.
Bert was a lover of jigsaw puzzles, a pursuit which brought her joy right up to the time of her passing. She would often complete a puzzle, then pass it on to someone else. Bert loved road trips, especially road trips to Las Vegas with her sisters during her time in Los Angeles. Motown classic music was her favorite, and she relished it throughout her adult life.
Bert loved nothing more than time spent with her nieces and nephews. Family was her greatest joy and she was extremely close to her siblings. She was a surrogate grandmother to her niece Brooke and nephew Sidney and enjoyed helping to raise them both. She especially enjoyed the new babies born into the family recently and loved watching their growth and progress.
Bert was a fantastic cook! She was most known for her collard greens, spaghetti, and pound cake. Her family regarded her as the pound cake queen.
Bertha was preceded in death by her parents, Jack Sr and Lorean Ealey, and her siblings Ruby, Bobbie, Jack Jr, Linda (Larry), Delois, Ivory (Theodore), and John (Hazel). Her living siblings Michelle (William) and Michael will miss her tremendously. She leaves to cherish her memory her son, Bruce, her in-laws, her surrogate grandchildren Brooke and Sidney, and a host of nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, cousins, family, and friends.
The family is eternally grateful for Bert and all that she has meant to us